Earlier this year I had a conversation with someone who said that public relations is to convince, corrupt, or confuse.
OMG!
That’s a pretty jaded way to look at public relations. He made it clear that PR needs some PR–it’s in a crisis, at least in the minds of some.
Do you know when you need public relations? All the time!
What if you are proactive about public relations? Even when things are good. A colleague of mine and I call it “Happy PR!” and it’s my jam.
Crisis PR
Granted, handling crises is a natural time to call in public relations professionals to manage the media and to be careful that what you say will not be misconstrued. A crisis can be very complicated for a company or individual. There can be legal implications on top of moral issues on top of what could be a simple mistake. There are risks to consider in admitting fault. Consultants, as well as lawyers and other advisors will have advice to mitigate damages and the PR consultant will work hard to maintain the public’s trust in you and your organization. If you are establishing and cultivating relationships with the people you serve and who you want to serve proactively all the time, then a crisis is easier to recover from. If you make choices aligned with your core values and brand identity, then people are much more ready to forgive you.
PRoactive Begins With PR
Think of a crisis you have witnessed in the news. Maybe a company you like has been accused of doing something rotten. If you are brand loyal, you might instantly believe they are victims who are being wrongfully accused. Have you had that feeling before? Have you thought it must be an enemy fraudulently attacking the company you love? Think about why you are so brand loyal that you might defend a person or institution even when evidence might be coming forth to the contrary. You trusted this person or company likely because you felt they were honest with you and had your back. That’s likely a result of their effective public relations efforts. People who get in scandals that we see in the news are people who have a lot to lose if they do something wrong (commit a crime), and the biggest thing they can lose is the public’s trust. Think of pastors, teachers, civic leaders–we want to trust them. In my memory of public crises, the scandals with the shortest news cycles and the least damage are ones in which the accused took responsibility (if they are guilty) and quickly aims to make it better. That sounds simple–just admit it, say you’re sorry, and talk about how you’ll do better, It’s just not always easy to do. Sometimes THE BEST PR is in admitting there was wrongdoing. It’s being a big enough person to do that. If you thought, up until now, that you only call in a PR pro to help you get out of a crisis, then know that you cannot ignore the important place that PR plays in your promotional repertoire.
Live Up To Your Own PR
Once you develop a brand identity through multiple promotional channels, you need to live up to the public’s perception of what that means. Whether you are in a crisis situation or not, you can’t just say a bunch of nice things and behave dastardly. that’s flimsy and phony and the public will quickly notice you are not aligned with your PR statements. Congruency is key. When you build-up your public relations, you are proving yourself to be a reliable friend to your target markets. Don’t betray that friendship.
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Leslie A.M. Smith founded McCormick L.A. 30 years ago to provide marketing and public relations services to small businesses and nonprofits. She is the author of Laws of Promotion, a 50-page marketing guidebook for people with little or no marketing experience, available on Amazon in English and Spanish. Her new online class BOOST is based on Laws of Promotion and is available now at www.McCormickLA.school Save $30 when you use code BOOST30.
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